By way of explanation and By the way

By the way and by way of explanation are semantically related. In some cases you can use "By the way" instead an adverb phrase "By way of explanation".

By the way adverb - Introducing a different topic; in point of fact.

By way of explanation and by the way are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "By way of explanation" instead an adverb phrase "By the way".